The Brisbane International Tennis tournament is the perfect day out for people of all abilities. This small tournament showcases some of the world’s best tennis players. You can also get up close to the players for a selfie and autograph.
This week, I attended Day 2 of the Brisbane International (my 4th time at the tournament), where I saw some brilliant matches and have some memorable encounters with my tennis idols.
People that know me know that I am a HUGE tennis fan! A day out at the tennis is my idea of heaven.
Read on to find out about some of the best experiences I have had at the tennis, including meeting Roger Federer, as well as some tips for attending the event.
About the Brisbane International Tennis
The Brisbane International Tennis runs the 1st week of January each year. Many of the top men’s, women’s, and wheelchair tennis players compete in this knockout tournament before the Australian Open in Melbourne.
The Brisbane International Tennis Centre, located in Brisbane Australia has a major stadium, Pat Rafter Arena and 2 outside show courts where you can watch live matches. There are also 16 practice courts and entertainment facilities to keep you very busy for a day.
Meeting the Players in the Practice Village
The Brisbane International encourages players to interact with fans. I love getting out in the practice village, where you can get courtside to watch players practising.
Here, you really get to see the skill, athleticism, and hours of hard work the players put in every-day. These players are often out in 30°C sun for hours finessing their shots. I’ve often found the heat unbearable just watching them practice, let alone the heat they must feel practising. The bonus of the heat is that you will often spot many shirtless men’s players during practice 🙂
Speaking of attractive shirtless gentleman, I watched Frances Tiafoe hitting some impressive powerful serves on the practice court. He gave us a wave and hello while we were watching.
After practice sessions, the players walk through the crowd, and most will stop for selfies and autographs. Some of the bigger players have security, but many players are just wandering through the crowds. In 2015, I almost ran over Milos Raonic as he rounded a corner.
Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to meet many of my favourite players. Below are some of the more memorable moments:
Roger Federer
In 2014, I met my ALL-TIME FAVOURITE tennis player Roger Federer! One for the best moments of my life highlights real.
Wandering through the practice village, we saw some people gathering and asked a security guard what was happening. The security guard told me to follow him behind a barricade and told me to wait and see for myself.
It was only when Roger emerged from the practice court and started signing autographs did realisation hit. Roger was on my side of the barricade and was heading straight towards me!
Roger and I had a lovely chat and wished each other a Happy New Year. He signed a ball for me and posed for some photos. He was so warm and friendly. It was obvious he cared about his fans, spending at least an hour signing autographs, even after a hot practice session.
Roberto Bautista Agut
This week, I also got to meet another favourite player, Roberto Bautista Agut from Spain. I would say he is one of the nicest guys in tennis.
Being a big fan, I was excited to spot Roberto on the practice courts. We found a shady spot at the end of the court where we watched him practice for about an hour.
Roberto spotted me during his practice and wandered over and said hello. This is unusual, as players don’t usually interact with the crowd during practice, and it’s the fans that typically initiate interactions.
Roberto had noticed my wheelchair, which was salient to him, as his own father had been a quadriplegic as well. We had a beautiful chat mid-practice. Afterwards, Roberto gifted me his practice T-shirt, ball, and gave me and my carer a hug. A special moment.
Grigor Dimitrov
I had a photo with Grigor in 2015. He was such a nice guy.
In 2025, Grigor walked past me as I was entering the practice village. He stopped and said hi and we grabbed a photo together. I mentioned that we had had a photo together 10 years ago, to which we had a laugh about how old we were getting.
Reilly Opelka
Reilly Opelka is the tallest tennis player on tour, but he is a gentle giant and so friendly. At 6“11, he towers over other players (check out the video of Australian Dane Sweeny standing on a chair to meet him at eye level).
Last year, he jumped in a photo with me and had a quick chat. We had a bit of a laugh, as Mum had to keep stepping backwards to fit me (4“4) and him in the photo.
Big tennis matches on Pat Rafter Arena
Pat Rafter Arena seats around 5500 people, with maybe around 50 places for wheelchairs.
Being a smaller arena, wherever you sit in the stadium, you get a great view and atmosphere with the crowd, especially when there is a close game.
Pat Rafter Arena hosts the big matches with the top players. This week, I watched an entertaining 3-setter with Jiri Lehecka defeating Tomas Machac. in previous years, I have seen matches with Roger Federer, Serena Williams, and Grigor Dimitrov to name a few.
Show courts
There are 2 outdoor, undercover show courts, as well as a few other outdoor match courts. The show courts typically have matches with Australian players (great crowd atmosphere) and big matches that don’t fit on Pat Rafter Arena.
Anyone can access these courts, any time. Sometimes there is a little wait for vacant seats in the arena for you to get in.
This week, I watched matches with Riley Opelka (against Aussie Dane Sweeny) and Sebastian Korda on show court 1.
The show courts have ramped entry to the grandstands. The front row is reserved for wheelchairs and companions. I did find that with my large (long length) wheelchair, I was blocking the thoroughfare a little bit, so opted to sit on the far side of the entryway. The views from the front row are great, only metres away from the action.
Food, Drink, and Entertainment
Surrounding Pat Rafter Arena there are a variety of food trucks to purchase food and drink. We spotted several gluten-free options. There is also a bar, café, and merchandise shop near the entrance.
There is also the Racquet club – here, there are some more bar/food options, activities for kids, players signing autographs, live music or DJ in the afternoon, and a big screen where you can relax on a deckchair and watch the games.
Accessibility Features
The Brisbane International Tennis Centre has some excellent accessibility features. The Guest Services team are all trained in the event accessibility features and are available to assist people with disabilities.
The precinct is all flat, concrete pathways that make getting around in a wheelchair easy. There is ramp access at the entrance, ramps down to the practice courts, and a lift to the Racquet club.
There are several accessible toilets outside of Pat Rafter Arena, which are quite spacious.
Hearing loops are available on request for those with hearing difficulties.
For those needing low sensory spaces, quiet rooms are available at the venue.
The tournament is part of the Sunflower Hidden Disability Initiative, with staff trained to assist anyone wearing a sunflower lanyard.
Tickets and booking
Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster on the Brisbane International Tennis website.
The best part is that tickets for wheelchair accessible spaces in Pat Rafter Arena can be purchased directly from the booking website. You just need to select the wheelchair seating area and choose your space. There are also concession discount tickets and companion card free tickets for carers.
There are 2 types of tickets you can purchase:
- Part Rafter Arena stadium tickets – this ticket reserves you a seat in the main stadium. You also get full access to the outside show courts and practice courts. These tickets start from around $30 and increase in price for finals and better viewpoints.
- Ground passes – these tickets allow you to access the outside match courts and practice courts. These are great value if you are okay with not seeing the main stadium matches, with day passes $30 for adults and $10 for kids under 11.
You can purchase tickets for a day session where you will typically see 3 matches on Pat Rafter Arena plus plenty of outside court action. Alternatively, you can watch the night session, with high profile matches (usually top-ranked players) on Pat Rafter Arena and 1 or 2 outside show court matches.
Early in the week (rounds 1 and 2) there are more matches and players about. Later in the week, you can see the big finals matches and wheelchair matches.
Getting to the Brisbane International Tennis Centre
The Brisbane International website has list of transport options for getting to and from the Brisbane International tennis, including accessibility info.
There are accessible trains and buses that stop nearby the Brisbane International Tennis Centre in Tennyson.
There is no parking on site. You can book accessible parking via a form on the website, with accessible shuttles to the venue from Yeerongpilly station.
Coping with the hot weather
Since the event occurs in early January, the weather can be quite hot and humid. There are the odd rain showers as well.
Pat Rafter Arena is indoor, with open air roofing that lets in a nice breeze. We found this a good place to be when it is hot. If it rains, these games can continue to play.
Show courts 1 and 2 have shade covers, which is a bit cooler and out of the sun. The afternoon breeze was needed with the afternoon sun. If it rains, these games often need to pause to dry the court.
All the other practice courts are outdoor. On a hot sunny day, it can be stifling sitting out there. There are some shade sails near some practice courts, but other areas are full sun. This year, I lasted 20 minutes watching a match on the outside court before I started to melt. In 2014, I got extremely sunburnt watching Roger Federer practice in the sun for 2 hours.
My top tips for managing the weather at the tennis:
- I tend to book tickets for days that are cloudy, to avoid the blazing sun.
- Lots and lots of sunscreen! Even when it’s cloudy, the UV can be brutal.
- Stay in the shade wherever possible and escape into Pat Rafter Arena for a breeze.
- Stay hydrated with water from the free drinking fountains and eat lots of ice cream.
- We had several breaks at the baseline café, where there is an awesome air-conditioning system for a quick cooldown.
Overall impressions
The Brisbane International is such a great day out. Watching your favourite tennis players up close and getting to meet them is a special experience.
The tournament is great for people of all abilities and ages, with plenty to entertain everyone.
Ratings
Wow Factor: 5/5. The perfect day out for a tennis fan.
Cobble index: 5/5. Flat concrete pathways everywhere.
Barrier Free Barometer: 5/5. Fantastic accessibility features.
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You can also check out previous posts on Byron Bay, Singapore, and Forster-Tuncurry via the blog page.